USC Upstate vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina-Upstate and Western Kentucky University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC-Upstate boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, WKU has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with USC-Upstate excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while WKU shines in areas such as Engineering, Health Professions, and Public Affairs. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional details that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of South Carolina-Upstate	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Spartanburg, South Carolina	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.7%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	950 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	19 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	2,893	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	2,190	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	597	2,832
Yield rate	27.3%	39.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$14,816	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $8,974	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $5,480	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $8,248	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	8.2%	N/A
International students	1.2%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,055	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.4%	53.6%
Dropout rate	19.2%	22.1%
Transferred out	31.9%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,614 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $70,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,719 Year 2: $57,512 Year 3: $60,107 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,885 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $52,577 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,033 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,902 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $43,565 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $37,957 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,958 Year 2: $32,439 Year 3: $37,264 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,254 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,102 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,772 Year 3: $35,463 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,350 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $33,671	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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USC Upstate vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

University of South Carolina-Upstate

Western Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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